Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 102 Counterattack
After the Ming army captured Gantang Ferry, its next target was Yanguan.

There are two major passes in northern Guangxi. One is Yanguan, located on Yuechengling, in the northwest of Guilin, belonging to Xing'an County. The other is Zhenxiaguan (Longhuguan), located on Dupangling, in the southeast of Guilin, belonging to Gongcheng County.

Historically, the Central Plains dynasties attacked Lingnan from land in three main directions: Yanguan, Zhenxiaguan, and Meiguan. Meiguan is located on Dayouling Mountain in northern Guangdong.

Yuechengling, Dupangling, Da'ouling and other mountains formed the precipitous Five Ridges, which separated Lingnan from the Central Plains. Guangdong was rich and Guangxi was strong in military. If they could manage Lingnan well, they could retreat to establish their own regime and advance to the Central Plains.

Therefore, it was extremely important for the Southern Ming to ensure the safety of Yanguan and Zhenxiaguan. In particular, Yanguan had the Lingqu Canal connecting the Xiangjiang River in Hunan and the Dujiang River in Guangxi, which facilitated the transportation of food and money, making it a battleground for military strategists. As for Zhenxiaguan, the transportation was not as convenient as that of Yanguan, and the military leader Cao Zhijian had been operating in Zhenxiaguan for a long time.

The Qing army first suffered a great defeat in Guilin, and then lost Gantang Ferry. The Ming army should have pursued the victory, but He Tengjiao had no good command and was short of food and grass, so they had to share the Qing army's baggage for military use.

The armies were fighting for pay, and Jiao Lian's Gui troops, Zhao Yinxuan's Dian troops, and Xiong Zhaozuo's Chu troops refused to give in. He Tengjiao's prestige was not enough to control the armies, and the counterattack was repeatedly delayed.

The troops wasted more than ten days of precious time on the pretext of dealing with prisoners of war and clearing out the remaining enemies. It was not until March 10 that the Ming army crossed the Darong River (now Rong River) and approached Yanguan.

Kong Youde had a special regard for Jiao Lian and sent people to persuade Jiao Lian to surrender, promising him the title of Marquis. Jiao Lian killed the messenger, and the three armies were shocked.

The Qing army suffered heavy losses in Guilin and their morale was greatly reduced. Kong Youde learned the lesson of the Battle of Guilin and arranged the Eight Banners of the Han Army in the front row to fight outside Yanguan.

After the great victory in Guilin, the Ming army's confidence was boosted, and they dared to cross the Darong River and line up with their backs to the water. The militia near Yanguan also enthusiastically joined the battle to avenge the Qing army's massacre of the city.

In just two years, Yanguan changed hands several times. At the beginning of the year, Hao Yongzhong abandoned Quanzhou, and the Qing army took advantage of the opportunity to occupy Yanguan. He Tengjiao, the commander-in-chief, fought for it, and the two armies fought fiercely around Yanguan.

The Qing army seized Yanguan and carried out a massacre, massacring Yanguan and Xing'an in an attempt to extinguish the resistance of the people in both places. However, they did not know that the people of Guangxi were tough and the Han and Yao people lived together. The more brutal the Qing army was, the more resistance the people would show.

Perhaps it was the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people, so God also came to help. According to historical records, during the Battle of Darong River, just as the two armies were in formation and before they could engage in battle, suddenly "a strong wind blew up and dust covered the sky."

Hu Yiqing of the Guards against Yunnan Camp was eager to make a contribution, so he led the Yunnan soldiers into battle without waiting for He Tengjiao's order.

As soon as the Yunnan troops moved, Jiao Lian was unwilling to fall behind, and led his death squad to advance, shouting and killing the enemy.

Cen Danchu was even more desperate. He sent his flag-beaters to hold copper trumpets and shout in front of the battle line: "The Qing army is defeated! The Qing army is defeated!"

Before the Qing army engaged in battle, the Green Camp soldiers in the rear team were the first to be frightened and fled without a fight.

Soldiers often fled without fighting on the battlefields of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, there was a supervisory team behind the battle formations, who could kill deserters first and report later to enforce military discipline. Today, the wind and sand covered the sky, and the supervisory team was unable to kill them in time, and the Green Camp soldiers in the rear quickly collapsed.

As soon as the rear team fled, the Eight Banners of the Han Army in the front team also lost their will to fight and fled in panic.

The Qing army even abandoned their camps, leaving behind countless armors, weapons and food. The grand battle of Darongjiang ended in a whimper again.

The Ming army took advantage of the chaos and pursued the enemy to Yanguan. The defenders were engulfed by the defeated soldiers and fled without a fight. The Qing army retreated to Quanzhou.

After the battles of Guilin and Darongjiang, Danchu also had a deep understanding of the Eight Banners of the Han Army. The three Shun kings were all brave generals of Dongjiang Town in their early years, and now they are known as the elite of the Eight Banners of the Han Army, but it seems that they are just in vain.

When people talk about the Eight Banners Army, the first ones are the Eight Banners of Manchuria, followed by the Eight Banners of Chahar Mongolia (belonging to Inner Mongolia), then the Eight Banners of Outer Mongolia, and finally the Eight Banners of Han Army.

In the Liaodong frontier army at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and others were not first-rate generals, and they were not even second-rate. However, they surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and brought much-needed artillery and navigation technology to the Qing Dynasty, which was why they were treated with courtesy by the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Huang Taiji was a master of united front work and was good at winning over surrendered generals. He did not hesitate to make Kong Youde and the other two kings in exchange for their loyalty.

Putting aside other factors such as the support of the imperial court, the supply of food and wages, and the guarantee of weapons, the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners of the Han Army may not be very high, and they may not be able to defeat the Southern Ming army.

In addition, the Eight Banners of the Han Army were also Han Chinese, and many of their generals had close ties with the Ming Army. As long as the situation changed, there was still a chance to win them over.

Haven’t you seen how many Han troops and the Eight Banners were involved in the Three Feudatories Rebellion during the reign of Emperor Kangxi?
The real enemies of the Ming army were the Eight Banners of Manchuria and the Eight Banners of Mongolia.

The next day, the Ming army marched northward from Yanguan Pass and fought with the Qing army again at Fenghuangping. The Qing army was defeated and the Ming army completely occupied Yanguan Pass.

After the Qing army lost Yanguan, it was no longer able to advance into Guangxi.

At this time, the news that Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren had rebelled in Jiangxi and returned to Ming was already confirmed, and the Qing court was shocked.

It turned out that Jin Shenghuan officially started the uprising on the night of the 26th day of the first lunar month in the second year of the Yongli reign. That night, Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren ordered the entire army to be ready to fight, close the gates of Nanchang, and surround the offices of the governor and inspector.

On the morning of the next day, Jin Shenghuan strangled Governor Zhang Yutian, Inspector Dong Xuecheng and other Qing officials, and ordered all camps to cut off their braids and change their clothes.

Jiangxi is a vital barrier to the six southeastern provinces. If everything goes well, Jin Shenghuan can go down the river and attack Nanjing directly. Once Nanjing is captured, the situation in Jiangnan will change drastically, and the Southern Ming may even divide the river with the Qing Dynasty.

Little did they know that Liu Tongchun, the governor of Jiangxi, had descended from the city wall overnight, disguised as a monk, and traveled 300 miles in one day and one night to report the news to Nanjing. Upon hearing the news, Nanjing immediately stepped up its defenses, reinforced the checkpoints upstream, and sent troops upstream to meet the enemy, with Liu Tongchun as the vanguard, thus aborting Jin Shenghuan's plan to attack Nanjing by surprise.

Dorgon was worried about the loss of Jiangnan, so he urgently ordered Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi to return to Wuchang to threaten Jin Shenghuan in Jiangxi. Wuchang was south of the Yangtze River, and Kong Youde did not dare to defend Wuchang, so he crossed the Yangtze River to defend Hanyang, which was separated by a river.

In Hunan, the Qing government left only three generals: Xu Yong to guard Changsha, Ma Jiaolin to guard Chenzhou, and Zhang Guozhu to guard Hengzhou. In the remnant of Guangxi, only Li Maozu, the governor of Guangxi, was left to guard Quanzhou, and general Yu Shizhong was left to assist in guarding Quanzhou and also to take care of Yongzhou in Hunan.

Once King Sanshun left, the situation became more favorable for the Ming army.

Du Yinxi, the Earl of Guanghua and Grand Secretary of the Dongge, was the first to take action. He gathered all the generals in western Hunan and vowed to counterattack. Ma Jinzhong, Yang Guodong, Wang Jincai and other brave generals, as well as Liu Tiren and Yuan Zongde of the Dashun Army, all obeyed his command.

Du Yinxi was the most knowledgeable, courageous, responsible and strategic minister in the entire Southern Ming Dynasty. He was originally a subordinate of He Tengjiao, but now his reputation gradually surpassed He Tengjiao.

Seeing this, He Tengjiao was not willing to be outdone, and began to mobilize troops and generals to seize the entire state.

Quanzhou is the northern gate of Guangxi and also the outpost for the Ming army to occupy Guangxi and recover the Central Plains. It is indeed a place that both armies must fight for.

Jiao Lian led Zhao Xing and Feng Zhiji to attack the front, while Bai Gui under his command attacked Huangsha, Cen Danchu attacked Liutang, and Ma Qijiao and Deng Yuanxi cut off the Qing army's southeastern supply route, and all of them won victories.

He Tengjiao personally led the Yunnan and Chu divisions to fight the Qing army at Feiluan Bridge.

By early April, the Ming army had cleared all obstacles outside Quanzhou and surrounded the city.

Li Maozu, the governor of Guangxi in the Qing Dynasty, spent all his money to recruit another 1,000 soldiers in an attempt to defend the city.

(End of this chapter)